The Price of Hope
by A M4D TE4-P4RTY
Summary: Returning home to the Blue Mountains Fili and Kili are ambushed by goblins and Fili is taken prisoner, while his brother is left for dead. Thorin sets out in the hope of finding them both alive, but all is not as it seems. Kili has vanished without a trace, as have the goblins that captured Fili and with winter closing in, Thorin is fast running out of time. xx
1. Homeward Bound

A pale, watery sun shone in a clear blue sky outlining the dark cliffs that towered above the treacherous mountain path. Beside the path a fast-flowing, narrow stream cut a deep, rocky bed through the scattered boulders and withered, leafless trees. Beyond the stream the land dropped sharply away into a steep slope that plunged down into a wooded valley far below. It was a cold, lonely place where the only sound was that of the chill wind whistling mournfully around the rocks.

Suddenly the sound of hooves disturbed the quiet and two ponies toiled into view around a sharp bend in the road. Their coats were shaggy and dirty and they were heavily laden with bundles and packages. Their riders were dwarves, wrapped in thick, dark cloaks and with their hoods pulled down into their faces to shield them from the biting wind. Slowly and carefully the two animals picked their way across the uneven ground, trudging up the steep mountainside, and were soon lost again from view behind a narrow belt of old fir trees. After a few minutes they emerged and continued their assent at the same measured pace, turning around another sharp bend and clambering over rubble that blocked the path.

Ever higher into the mountains they went, never stopping or changing their pace and in this way the pair travelled on for several hours while above them the sun slowly sank towards the high, snow-covered peaks.

Eventually the riders reached a quiet basin stretching away to their right, like someone had scooped a giant chunk out of the mountainside. A cool, clear green lake filled the centre of the hollow, with rocky banks decorated with patches of snow and ice leading into the shade of some stunted, gnarled old trees. Here the rider at the front seemed to decide it was a good place to stop because he held up a hand and reined in his pony. The second rider steered his pony alongside and they held a brief whispered discussion.

The second rider seemed to be arguing with the first, pointing further up the mountainside and then back the way they had come while his little bay pony stamped his hooves and snorted agitatedly. With a sigh his companion pointed up at the darkening sky and shook his head.

Reluctantly the second figure seemed to agree and dismounted slowly from his pony, still looking on up the track ahead of them. He lead the animal into the shelter of the old trees and tethered it to a low hanging branch, then turned to watch his companion who had ridden on a little way and was carefully surveying the surrounding landscape.

Seemingly satisfied that there was no immediate danger the first rider spurred his pony into a brisk trot and returned to their chosen camp. Here he reined in and swung gracefully to the ground. "Everything's quiet," he announced , letting his hood fall back to reveal golden blonde hair, messy and tousled by the wind and the long ride, "We should be safe here for tonight."

"I still think we could have ridden on for a while, Fili," the other figure muttered.

The blonde sighed and shook his head. "We could not possibly have reached a more sheltered place to sleep before nightfall, you know that, Kili. There is no need to hurry, we will get there in plenty of time. Now cheer up and let's get something to eat." He clapped Kili on the shoulder and moved past him to fasten his pony's reins to a tree.

For a moment Kili remained where he was, still looking along the path. Then he shrugged and followed his brother.

The evening shadows were gathering above them as they set about collecting wood for a fire and laying out their blankets for the night. The wind howled around the hollow and shook the branches of the trees above them, so that they creaked and swayed alarmingly. The two ponies, now relieved of their heavy burdens, shifted uneasily and their ears flicked back and forth, alert and listening for danger.

Soon the smell of sausages frying filled the air, along with the acrid smell of woodsmoke and burning. A bright little fire was cracking away in the shelter of a sightly overhanging ridge, the two dwarves sat as close to is as they could for warmth. The sound of their laughter echoed around the shallow basin and was whipped away by the chill wind.

"You should have seen his face, Fili," Kili laughed, his dark eyes glittering with mirth. "I have never seen anyone go quite that shade of purple."

Fili was turning the sausages in the pan and threw his brother a glance over his shoulder. "Why can you never stay out of trouble?", he asked, clearly torn between laughter and disapproval. "Was it really necessary to hit him?"

With a shrug Kili lent back against a tree. "He insulted us and he was laughing at you, of course it was necessary. Anyway," he paused to toss a handful of twigs onto the fire, "it was very funny. One minute he was standing there smirking at me and the next he was sitting in the largest puddle you have ever seen, covered from head to toe in slimy, wet mud. It must have been so embarrassing for him."

Sighing Fili shook his head, but he was grinning. "Uncle will not be happy when he hears about this. This trip was very important, we were supposed to be agreeing with those men on a price for the weapons they wanted. Now you have offended them and they will only speak to Thorin, that is if they even still want to buy the weapons."

Seemingly unperturbed Kili speared one of the sausages on the end of his dagger. "I will explain what happened to Thorin and I think he will understand. He would have found it difficult to ignore somebody making fun of him." He took a large bite of his food and chewed it contentedly. "Very good, brother," he said with his mouth still full, "The perfect food for such a cold evening."

Fili rolled his eyes at his little brother. "You can change the subject if you want to, but Uncle will still be angry with you when he finds out about this." Tipping the sausages out of the pan and onto two plates he held one out to Kili. "Eat this then get some sleep. I'll take the first watch."

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the distance a wolf howled and was answered by a faint call, further away still. Kili's head jerked up off his chest, his eyes snapping open.<p>

The fire had burned low but was still giving off a warm glow and a deep, red light. Against it, Kili could just make out the shape of his brother huddled in his blanket to keep out the cold, smoking his pipe. In the light from the fire Kili could see his eyes glittering and his hair glowing gold under his hood. A little further away he could see the dark shadows of their ponies and supplies and beyond that, an impenetrable ring of inky blackness.

The night had dropped colder since he had fallen asleep and the wind was howling round their shallow bowl in the mountainside, whipping snow into the air and snatching it away over the ridge a few feet above them. The old trees were groaning and creaking and a fine dusting of frost or snow covered Kili's blanket.

The young dwarf shivered and pushed himself upright again from where he had slumped against one of the trees. He was immensely glad of even this slight shelter and silently thanked Fili for insisting they stopped here. Huddled between the fire, the trees and the ponies and with the ridge overhanging their camp slightly, they were at least partially sheltered from the elements. Even so, Kili could barely feel his hands and feet and dreaded to think what it would have been like had they carried on higher up the mountain.

Another wolf howled, behind them this time, and Fili turned, noticing his brother was awake. He grinned slightly and inched over to lean against the tree next to Kili. The wind snatched his voice away and it took him several attempts to make himself heard. "All quiet, except for the wolves," he eventually shouted in Kili's ear.

The younger dwarf nodded and gestured in the direction of the two ponies that were shuffling around nervously, snorting and stamping. "Any problems with the ponies?", he asked.

Fili shook his head. "No, they are a bit nervous but they are sensible enough to realise it is safer for them with us than bolting off to face the wolves." He brushed some of the powdery snow off his brother's blanket. "Why are you already awake? I thought you weren't taking over the watch for another hour or two."

"The wolves woke me," Kili explained with a shrug and took the pipe his brother offered him. "Do you want me to take over, as I seem to be awake now anyway? There is no point us both sitting here and I doubt I'll get to sleep again now."

"Are you sure?", Fili asked with a wide yawn, "You could still try to get some more sleep."

Kili nodded and settled himself more comfortably beside the fire, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. Somewhere quite close by a wolf howled again and one of the ponies snorted in alarm. After a second everything was quiet and still again. Kili put his pipe to one side and collected up some sticks to put on the fire.

Meanwhile Fili rolled himself tightly into his blankets and rested his head on his saddle as a pillow. For a while he lay watching Kili stirring the fire back into life with a stick and piling more wood onto it. Then his eyes turned to the dark, cloudy sky that promised more snow before morning. They would have to travel quickly if they wanted to get home before the weather got any worse. Fili made a mental note to make sure they were moving again by daybreak. Then they would be home in just another day or two. Slowly he drifted off to sleep, still planning the best routs to take through the mountains.

The next thing he knew, Fili was being shaken awake. It was still very dark, several hours before dawn, and Kili was leaning over him with his sword in his hand. "Fili?", he whispered when he saw the older one was awake, "I think there's something coming."


	2. Midnight Rambles

The sky was darkening from crimson and gold to dusky blue and the stars were beginning to appear as Thorin made his way out into the open and paused to look around him. It was a cold night, clouds gathered, low and ominous, over the high passes in the mountains threatening snow. Even the air smelled cold, the promise of storms to come blowing in on the wind. Everything was covered in a delicate white blanket out of which the black shapes of houses and trees loomed suddenly in the gloom. All was quiet and still, save for a single thread of smoke spiralling its way towards the stars.

Thorin sighed and set off walking again, his feet finding the well-known path, despite its covering of snow and ice. Ahead of him the stables loomed out of the dark, a well-built wooden structure, large enough to house around ten ponies. Hooves shuffled in straw and one of the ponies neighed a greeting as it saw Thorin coming. Apart from that there was no sound, no sign of anybody else there.

There was a little lamp hanging on a nail at the end of the row of stables. Thorin took it down, lit it and wandered along until he reached the two stables at the far end of the building. They were empty and had clearly not been used for some time, meaning Fili and Kili had still not returned.

With a sigh Thorin turned away and stood looking along the uneven, stony track that lead into the mountains. Absent-mindedly he stroked the nose of his muscular, skewbald stallion, in the stable beside the one where Fili's pony should have been by now. "Where are they, Linden?", he asked the animal, who looked at him with intelligent dark eyes and nuzzled his hand affectionately.

On an impulse Thorin decided to walk a little way along the path to see if there was any sign of his nephews returning. Taking the lamp with him, he pushed open the stable door and headed out into the cold.

The mountain path was narrow, with a steep drop to the right and a high bank to the left, made slippery by the snow. Carefully, Thorin picked his way along, staying close to the bank, until it flattened out and wound its way into the forest, narrowing into a thin track, bordered by huge trees, their branches crossing overhead to form a dark tunnel. There was no sign of the brothers.

The sound of feet crunching along behind him made Thorin turn, half drawing his sword from its sheath. At the sight of his pursuer, he relaxed, releasing the hilt of his sword and turning back to look along the path again. "They should have been back days ago," he commented quietly. "Dis is beginning to worry about them."

The footsteps stopped as the figure came to a halt next to Thorin. "There are plenty of things that could have delayed them," Dwalin shrugged and gestured up at the sky, "the weather for example."

"I know that, but Dis is sure that something must have happened to them." The two friends started walking again, wandering past the first trees of the forest, their branches bare and leafless. "You know how dangerous those paths can be though in the winter, with snow on the ground. It would be very easy for a pony to slip..." Thorin stopped, but he was thinking of some of the narrower tracks with drops to either side or the places prone to avalanches and rock slides.

Dwalin scuffed his boots in the thin coating of snow on the ground, considering how much snow would have fallen higher up in the mountains. "Thorin, they know these paths very well and the weather is not all that bad yet. I think Dis is worrying about nothing." He neglected to point out that it was not only Dis who seemed to be worrying about Fili and Kili, Thorin also seemed to be anxious to have his nephews safely home. "They will be back in no time."

As the two dwarves stood there fine snow began to fall, swirling around them in the wind. Somewhere in the forest an owl hooted and after a minute another replied. Thorin shook his head and turned back the way they had come. "There is no point waiting any longer for them. It is late and they are unlikely to be home before tomorrow now."

"We can always..." Dwalin suddenly froze staring intently towards the mountains down the little track.

Puzzled, Thorin was about to ask him what was wrong when he heard it too. Hooves. Two sets of hooves ambling slowly along the path towards them from out of the dark. He glanced sideways at Dwalin who shrugged slightly. _Could it be them? _Thorin stepped forwards, hand on the hilt of his sword and called softly: "Fili? Kili?"

A delighted neigh greeted his words and the hooves broke into a trot.

The two dwarves had just enough time to exchange relieved glances with each other, Thorin visibly relaxing, before the ponies trotted into the ring of lamplight. Riderless. The realisation hit Thorin like being suddenly doused in cold water and he felt himself shudder. _If these are their ponies, where are Fili and Kili? _

Dwalin stepped forwards whistling softly to the two animals and gently caught hold of their bridles, running a hand down their necks. "These are their ponies alright," he said quietly.

It had taken Thorin no more than a few seconds to take in what he was seeing and get his emotions under control again. The ponies were riderless and their saddles and the baggage they should undoubtedly have been carrying was also missing, the reins had clearly been cut on both ponies. Judging by the state of them they had been wandering without anyone to care for them for several days. That meant his nephews were nowhere nearby and it was therefore useless to try and search for them now, in this light. He turned to Dwalin. "We will take the ponies back to the stables and see they are looked after. Maybe we can find some indication of what happened to the boys."

His friend nodded slowly and offered him the reins of Fili's pony. "You take Hornbeam, I'll take Hazel."

Thorin nodded and hauled himself onto the back of Fili's little chestnut gelding, gently ruffling the matted and dirty fur on his neck. Hornbeam was Fili's favourite, his first pony. The two had grown up together and it worried him to see the pony in such a bad condition. _Fili would never let him get like this if he was there to look after him. Something must have happened to him,_ a nagging voice in the back of his mind whispered. Thorin pushed it aside and turned to Dwalin. "Ready?"

Together they steered their mounts back along the track towards home. Since they had walked that way darkness had fallen properly and, despite Thorin holding the lamp as high as he could, they couldn't see more than a few paces ahead of them. The ponies seemed glad to be nearing home and both dwarves struggled to control their speed over the dangerously slippery and treacherously narrow section of the path. Especially Hazel, Kili's pony, seemed intent on galloping for her stable and Thorin noticed Dwalin was having to use all his skill to stop her falling down the ravine to their left.

Once the ponies were safely back in their stables, fed and cleaned up Dwalin examined the remains of the bridles the ponies had been wearing. "The reins have been cut and the rest of their tack is missing," he pointed out, glancing up from where he was sat on a bale of straw. "A very sharp knife, I would say. And they were cut in a hurry."

Thorin nodded in agreement. "Do you think it was Fili or Kili that cut them loose?"

The other dwarf shrugged. "No way to tell." He dumped the broken leather on the bale of straw and got up, walking over to Thorin and the ponies. "What about them? Any indication of what happened?"

Shaking his head Thorin left the stable, closing the door behind him. "Nothing."

Dwalin put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and together they made their way back along the icy path towards the house. "Why would Fili or Kili cut their ponies loose?", Dwalin wondered out loud as they walked, "If one of them was hurt they would need them to get home. Could it have been some kind of accident and the ponies escaped?"

"Unlikely. If there had been an accident then the ponies would probably have been hurt too and the reins were cut not torn. Maybe they were attacked? They could have released the ponies to stop them from being hurt." Thorin frowned as he considered the possibilities of what could have happened to his missing nephews. "That would mean that they were unable to ride or did not expect to escape." His friend's silence told him that Dwalin clearly agreed with this theory.

Just outside his front door Thorin stopped and grabbed Dwalin's arm. "Say nothing to Dis," he whispered, "but be ready to leave early tomorrow morning. We must find them or at least..." He stopped, unable to bring himself to say the words. _Avenge them._

"I understand," Dwalin growled and if his voice sounded a little gruffer than usual, Thorin pretended not to notice. "I will be ready." He turned quickly and stamped off through the snow, not looking back at Thorin, and was swallowed up by the darkness.


	3. A Journey in the Dark

The tunnel was dark and cold and Fili stumbled more then once on the uneven floor. Goblins crowded in on him from all sides, pushing and shoving him and shrieking insults in their high, cruel voices. Somewhere, from in the darkness, a whip cracked, but the dwarf barely registered the sting of pain. He lashed out at the goblins around him and was rewarded with a shriek of pain and loathing.

Another whip flew out of nowhere, tangling around his legs and making him stumble and almost fall. The goblins laughed at their prisoner's discomfort and one grabbed Fili roughly by the back of his coat, hauling him up again. They continued their progress, dragging Fili along with them.

They were moving quickly down a long tunnel that lead straight down into the mountain. As they went along it slowly narrowed and the ceiling rose above them, so that soon they were forced to walk single-file and Fili had no chance of escape. In front and behind goblins marched and to either side the walls were now smooth and flat, offering no hand- or footholds to climb them.

For what felt like hours Fili was forced to walk on and on through the pitch darkness with no idea of where they were going or what would happen to him when they got there. As there was nothing to see Fili occupied his time with memorising the tunnel they were passing through. Letting a hand run along each wall he had a fairly good idea of roughly which direction they were headed in and how far down they had come. There were no other passages branching off this one, so it would be easy to follow if he could escape and find it again.

Just as he was thinking this the passageway began to widen out again and the floor began to slope more steeply downwards. The goblins picked up their pace almost to a run as if they had almost reached their destination. From up ahead the noise of voices clamoring could be heard and a dull, red glow spread through the tunnel, illuminating the walls with a blood-red shine.

Fili slowed his step in an attempt to drop further back in the group and possible slip away without being seen. He had noticed a gap in the rows of goblins at the back. If he could only get there then he had a chance of escaping. Slowly he moved to his left, keeping the gap in sight.

Ahead the passage narrowed before opening out into a vast hall. To either side of this doorway guards stood with drawn swords in one hand and torches in the other. Fili's captors slowed down as they drew nearer to the door. It was the best chance Fili was going to get. He threw himself backwards into the goblin behind him, knocking it off balance. It shrieked and fell, taking another goblin with it.

Not waiting to see the chaos and confusion the goblins were suddenly thrown into Fili turned, ducked under the outstretched arm of a large goblin and hared back up the tunnel they had just come down. The darkness slowed him down, but he still had a good head start on his pursuers. Before they had even recovered he was back in the narrow passage, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

It took a moment for the goblins to collect themselves and discover that their prisoner had escaped them. Once they realised the dwarf was gone they let out screeches of fury and set off in pursuit, drawing their weapons as they ran. They knew the tunnel better than Fili did and could see better in the darkness. In just a few minutes they were gaining on him, their howling and yelling echoing deafeningly off the stone walls.

Wishing he still had one of his weapons or had had time to grab one off the goblins, Fili listened to the sound of angry screaming and pounding feet getting closer. Realistically he knew there was no way he was going to be able to outrun the goblins, but still he refused to give up. Putting on a spurt of speed he threw himself forwards and tried to shut out the sounds of the goblins behind him.

Suddenly from nowhere something heavy connected with the back of Fili's head. Pain shot through him and white stars exploded in front of his eyes. He hit the floor hard and rolled instinctively to the side narrowly missing a second blow. A goblin, clutching a club in it's ugly claws, towered above Fili as the dwarf lay winded on the ground, panting to get his breath back.

Dazed Fili struggled upright and gingerly put a hand to his throbbing head. The pain made him want to vomit and when he took his hand away it was wet and sticky. Even in the dark Fili recognised blood. In a confused sort of way he wondered how serious his injury might be. He could not afford to be injured if he wanted to get back and find Kili. He had to find Kili. Kili was hurt. The thoughts kept going round and round in his head as the goblins pulled him to his feet and set of marching again, shoving him along with them.

Everything had happened so fast. One minute Kili had been bending over him, the next there had been goblins everywhere. Fili remembered fighting and noise. At some point the fire had been kicked out and they had been plunged into darkness. Then he had heard it, Kili's cry of pain as a goblin's sword sliced down across his chest, the sound of his brother falling to the ground. Fili had dropped his sword and reached to stop the bleeding when goblins seised him and dragged him away.

In the dark goblin tunnels Fili stumbled and almost fell. Roughly a goblin dragged him up again and shoved him forwards, but it barely even registered with the injured dwarf. All he could think of was Kili, the sight of him lying sprawled on the ground, blood oozing from the gash across his chest and forming a puddle on the frozen ground beneath him. The worst thing was that he had not been killed, he was lying outside in the snow, slowly dying, and Fili was powerless to save him. As the goblins had dragged him away Fili had seen his brother struggle to get up and follow them and then collapse back onto the ground, white as a ghost and barely breathing. He could already be dead by now.

Fili shuddered and began to struggle against the goblins holding him again. He had to escape. He had to go back for Kili. A whip connected with the side of his face, snapping his head to the side. Furiously he turned and smashed his head into the face of the nearest goblin. There was a sickening, wet crunch and the creature sagged lifelessly to the ground.

Immediately ten other goblins sprang forwards to restrain their prisoner. Laughing and cackling they twisted his arms painfully behind his back and secured them there with a thick rope that bit deep into his wrists. All the thrashing and kicking did Fili no good, there were just too many goblins. In the end he was forced to stumble after his captors, dragged along on the end of a rope, getting further and further away from the outside world and further and further away from Kili.


End file.
